The present invention relates to control of programmable devices or modules. In one aspect, the present invention is particularly useful in inventory and configuration control of modules that are physically identical but can be programmed with alternative configurations.
Various systems allow a user to track items such as manufactured devices or packages. For example, a barcode containing a model number or a serial number or other identifying indicia can be printed on a device or a package. An optical scanner connected to a tracking system can scan the barcode, so that the tracking system can determine the identity and location of the marked item. Such barcode systems rely on “line of sight” access from the barcode reader to the barcode on the item being tracked. In addition, while the tracking system can record various information pertaining to the location and status of the tracked item, the tracked item itself does not retain any information as to where it has been, or what processing steps have been performed on it.
More recently, radio frequency identification (RFID) devices include radio frequency transmitters that have been applied to products for tracking purposes. Such RFID devices contain information that they can transmit to a reader. The radio frequency transmitters do not require “line of sight” access from the reader.
Magnetic tags and sensors have also been demonstrated to track and verify the identity of products. Magnetic tags require close proximity between the information bearing tag and the sensor.
In various instances, holders or transporters of products may wish to alter certain information pertaining to a particular product after the product has been manufactured and entered the distribution channel. For example, a person may wish to know when a product passed through a particular stage in the distribution channel. Such information is important to maintain the freshness of time-sensitive inventory. Also, for certain types of products, such information can be used to detect if the product may have been inappropriately detoured along the distribution channel, which detours could indicate tampering or other mishandling of the product.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, a portable programming device for electronically programming an electronic tag associated with a module includes a hand-held data receiver containing a communication element adapted to receive data from an electronic tag associated with a module and a data processor. The data processor is adapted to analyze data received at the communication element in accordance with programmed processing instructions and to produce a processor result. The processor result is based on the received data. The portable programming device also includes a hand-held tag writer comprising a communication element for writing tag content information to a tag memory segment of the electronic tag in response to the processor result. In a particular implementation, the data processor includes a memory for storing programmed processing instructions for the data processor.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method of processing an electronic tag associated with a module includes bringing a portable electronic reader device into proximity with an electronic tag associated with a module, causing the portable electronic reader device to read tag data from the electronic tag, electronically processing the tag data in the portable electronic reader device in accordance with programmed instructions stored in the portable electronic reader device to produce a processor result, and transmitting the processor result outside the portable electronic reader device. The processor result is based on the tag data read by the portable electronic reader device.